Mystery shopping thread 26 *please read the op first**please no client names or fees

missymouse

Sorry to hear that. It is hard to get any feedback so you think everything is ok.

hope something better comes up.

how do you get some redress in this situation?

Sunny_spell

I did lots of shopping center visits for them in the past. I stopped working for them a year ago because they refused to pay for my visit. The client claimed my report did not follow their brief and refused to believe that a member of staff (jewellery shop) did not do their job properly. I wrote to J and also spoke to her on phone as well. J sent me a copy of the client's email and took the client's side. I suggested checking the store's CCTV in order to confirm that everything I had written in my report was true but they did not reply to my email. The fee was minimal and I decided that it was not worth any further stress.

ISWMLE

Thanks MM.

I have plenty of other MSC clients that I work for and do pretty well at this game becuase I do video not report work. Nevertheless, I did consider this company as a favoured client right up to last year. Now I realise that they were really quite a nasty outfit behind the scenes. So it came as a bit of a shock and makes me feel mistrustful of other clients I currently work for. It would not have been so bad if they had said openly and honestly that they were parting company with me because I have completed too many of the jobs already and can't keep sending me back. But they are claiming that I have done specific things wrong when there is absolutely no evidence of that - instead there is proof to the contrary. That is plain nasty.

Althouth, I have been working for many years now and realise that no job is perfect, no matter what it is, this one seems far more imperfect than I care to put up with now. So my aim now is to keep this mystery shopping malarky going for as long as I need to - to keep up my standard of living - but to work on the sidelines in something I am currently working toward to get the hell out of it altogether. There are far better work opportunities out there - better paid ones too without galavanting all over the UK for MSC clients who show that they clearly have no respect for those fieldworkers they ultimately depend on for their livelihoods.

As someone else pointed out in the last thead, before I started joining in: I stay in this game because don't take any crap from any of them (or words to that effect) Unfortuantely, the name of this game is to either 'take the crap', which most of these MSCs give out, or get out altogether. I'm veering toward the latter.

As I would say to anyone mystery shopping - video or report - 'mystery shopping is the very best crap job there is.'

elverson

Hi all. I've been on MF for the past few months doing Central London sites. Before Christmas there were regularly jobs available for both the 'expensive Belgian lager' and the 'coffee shop with the French name' all over Zone 1, but now it seems that the work has dried up except the 'occasional Japanese lunch place'.

Are the contracts still in place / are there more shoppers chasing work than there used to be?

ISWMLE

Sunny_spell wrote: »

I did lots of shopping center visits for them in the past. I stopped working for them a year ago because they refused to pay for my visit. The client claimed my report did not follow their brief and refused to believe that a member of staff (jewellery shop) did not do their job properly. I wrote to J and also spoke to her on phone as well. J sent me a copy of the client's email and took the client's side. I suggested checking the store's CCTV in order to confirm that everything I had written in my report was true but they did not reply to my email. The fee was minimal and I decided that it was not worth any further stress.

I actually get the impression that their briefs are constructed in such a way as to elicit the information they need from you, the mystery shopper for their end client reports - but they still put you at needless risk of being rumbled or targetted for non payment for not following the brief. If they think they can get away with not paying, whilst still using your information, they will.

Examples:

1. Taking back items almost as soon as you've bought them and allowed us to go back as often as we wanted to the same store. I always thought that was a bad rap because sooner or later the staff will twig that you are a serial timewaster or a......duh.....mystery shopper. They encouraged this for their outdoor wear client.

2. Asked us to specifically target a manager of a jeweller by name to ask about an item to buy. This is not very customer-like. Then telling us that we should stand to talk about an item instead of being seated (to ensure good framing, they said). In reality, it is likely to result in sillouette targets if they are standing in front of a strong back light source. No doubt, if the target had been a black shadow instead of seeing clearly defined facial features, they would have used the footage but refused to pay. I told them I would remain seated if I felt that was the best thing to do.

3. Tell us what our opening lines should be.

4. Asking us to film gym toilets. This, from what other MSCs have told me, is illegal.

I get the distinct impression that I was binned because they were NOT getting away with telling me what I could and could not do to ensure my footage was correct, to high standards and they would not have an excuse not to pay me.

As for Geo-Verify. That doesn't apply for video shoppers. But if I was expected to us it, tell them to get stuffed and refuse to use it. As a freelancer, you are entitled to be trusted and to even use a substitute to carry out your work if you want to. That is the name of the game for freelancing - no direction and control

Buddy2008

I've been doing "a bit" of mystery shopping for a few months now. The information on these threads has been invaluable, so thanks to all for that.

I've stayed away from posting until now because I'm new to it and don't have anything to add that'll help anyone. But I would just like to second some of what ISWMLE said. I don't have any experience with the company in question, but *in general* I feel like a lot of "scenarios" and instructions make it more likely that you will be "spotted".

To the stuff mentioned above, I would add "you must take a photo when you have completed the visit". Now if I was retail staff and had suspicions about someone I had just dealt with, I'd be more likely to watch them afterwards, than before when I didn't know they were coming. I'm sure it's not the case 98% of the time, but it just feels like these extra details and requirements add very little in terms of the information the client needs to know, and quite a lot in terms of "risk" (overly dramatic word, but you know what I mean) to the shopper.

(and that's before anyone mentions targeting a particular model of new car with absolutely no leeway to consider mildly altered specifcations... )

Sunny_spell

ISWMLE wrote: »

Taking back items almost as soon as you've bought them and allowed us to go back as often as we wanted to the same store. I always thought that was a bad rap because sooner or later the staff will twig that you are a serial timewaster or a......duh.....mystery shopper. They encouraged this for their outdoor wear client.


I get the distinct impression that I was binned because they were NOT getting away with telling me what I could and could not do to ensure my footage was correct, to high standards and they would not have an excuse not to pay me.

The brief screamed a mystery shopper and those visits were hanging for weeks...As for making an excuse not to pay, they were pretty good at it!


They should have been honest and open with you instead of making up things. Their behavior does seem very odd considering the fact you worked for them with no problems in the past.

In the past my previous reports where I highlighted few issues were received without any problems. The client did not like my last report and I was the one who suggested checking CCTV footage. I was very disappointed that the company simply dismissed me and did not bother writing back.

ISWMLE

In all honesty, Sunny_Spell (love the name, btw) I suspected that they were a nastier bunch behind the scenes than they openly revealed themselves to be - at least to me - but like most shoppers I dismissed what my instincts told me, even where hints did arise, because I didn't actually experience bad stuff when it came to work allocations which I got with ease. But I did find it odd that so many thought so badly of this company yet I seemed not to witness any of the stuff I was reading about from others, particularly over failing gigs and not getting paid, etc. I did not suffer anything like that.

The first sniff that they were not that friendly was when I did a tour up north over a year ago - mainly for another client. I was doing some gym visits for this company too. As I was up in thier HO region, I offered to drop in at their offices and say hello in person. I spoke to 'E' and she didn't seem at all keen as I thought she would be and just said to me: 'by, all means, if you want to..' in a fairly dismissive unenthusiastic (if you like but not because I like) tone of voice. I dismissed it as them being very busy. But, again, I thought it odd but it didn't sully my good feeling about their level of professionalism regarding work and payments.

It was around that time (I think) that 'E' contacted me in near hysterics demanding to know if another new MSC had been in touch called 'S**o'. Apparently, one of their team had defected and started up on their own and they were worried they would lose clients. I gave them my unwaiving loyalty and told them no and I would not work for them and if I found out that this company had poached clients I would contact them and let them know. 'E' sent me a nice bunch of flowers in appreciation. In reality, I waited a few months and still signed on with the new company too and told them nothing about their clients, and am still with them (although they dont' have a great deal of v-work).

In short, this company seem to expect a lot from their Mystery shoppers - loyalty, perfect work, yet in return they put together risky briefs and odd scenarios that don't accord with how customers would behave and then dump you without any valid reason at all, and make up excuses for your shortcomings to convince themselves you are at fault and not them.

My guess is that they have taken on a few more shoppers recently, probably dropped the job rates too under a new regime with new staff (E is leaving, so she told me) and now they want to shed their old shopper blood in case we rattle too many cages with the new ways of doing things and demand the status quo. Normally, this is the time to get rid of old blood and suck in new, more niaive people who do not know better.

Well good riddance to them. I won't miss them if that is how they really are. Shame really, because I don't like to think badly of people but I am finding it hard not to, in this case. I, so it seems, was just a number to be tossed aside like an old, used tissue.

ISWMLE

Buddy2008 wrote: »

I've been doing "a bit" of mystery shopping for a few months now. The information on these threads has been invaluable, so thanks to all for that.

I've stayed away from posting until now because I'm new to it and don't have anything to add that'll help anyone. But I would just like to second some of what ISWMLE said. I don't have any experience with the company in question, but *in general* I feel like a lot of "scenarios" and instructions make it more likely that you will be "spotted".

To the stuff mentioned above, I would add "you must take a photo when you have completed the visit". Now if I was retail staff and had suspicions about someone I had just dealt with, I'd be more likely to watch them afterwards, than before when I didn't know they were coming. I'm sure it's not the case 98% of the time, but it just feels like these extra details and requirements add very little in terms of the information the client needs to know, and quite a lot in terms of "risk" (overly dramatic word, but you know what I mean) to the shopper.

(and that's before anyone mentions targeting a particular model of new car with absolutely no leeway to consider mildly altered specifcations... )

Frankly, taking photos at all of shop fronts does not prove that you were there. What is to stop you arranging with some friend in a location to take the shot and email it to you to forward onto the MSC with your report. The left and right of building doesn't prove anything either. As it is, you should not need to prove your presence. Either a MSC trusts you to do your job or they don't. Provided they get the result to the required standard they need it makes no difference at all whether you carry out the work yourself or not (although it hardly pays to get in a substitute, but this should be your right if you are freelancing).

But, back to your point on photos: I can certainly see your point of view, staff could see if you if they are hypervigilent about their performance and suspect you could be a shopper, but if you took the photo before you entered the target you eventually speak to might have spotted you outside taking it and then you are even more at risk and they will put on a floor show, rendering the entire interaction fake.

In reality, there is no right and wrong way to take a shop front photo. Take it when it is convenient and you feel comfortable, would be my stance. Either way the same degree of risk arises.

missymouse

I hate taking the photos too. They should always lrt you buy something and be reimbursed where possible. Why would you need a photo then.

I had to ask for a refund today and hated it. It was in my brief and I had no choice. I would never do this in reality.

I hope the more I do and if I do good reports etc I will get better jobs but maybe not.

I'm sure they do get mystery shoppers who are unreliable and don't care.